Chapter 2

"Stella, run a bath for me. I need to wash up."

Late at night, Ethan returned home. As usual, he ordered me around like a servant.

I sat in the shadow of the living room, where the lights were off, and didn’t move.

He casually threw his damp jacket onto the sofa without throwing a single glance my way, walking straight to the bar to pour a glass of water.

I could clearly smell a faint, sweet trace of tuberose perfume on him. It was Bianca Reed’s favorite scent.

The laptop screen in front of me glowed with a ghostly blue light. Frozen on the screen was a snapshot of him in the garage half an hour ago, pinning Bianca against the steering wheel, kissing her like crazy.

For the past three years, to accommodate his so-called "germaphobia," I had always kept my distance.

How pathetic that I was only finding out now—his germaphobia was highly selective. It only applied to me.

"Ethan." I closed the laptop, my voice sounding strangely loud in the empty room.

He froze mid-pour, then turned around. "Why are the lights off? It's pitch black."

He walked over, looking down at me. He pulled a cheaply made charm bracelet from his pocket and tossed it onto the coffee table.

"I went to a business meeting today and picked this up for you. Stop complaining about my germaphobia."

I looked at that cheap piece of junk. Suddenly, the image from the dashcam flashed through my mind. He had just hand-fastened a twenty-million-dollar ruby necklace around Bianca's neck.

"My darling deserves the absolute best. Stella Brooks is nothing but a useful tool." That was what he had whispered to Bianca.

A wave of intense nausea surged from my stomach.

I stood up, ignoring the bracelet, and looked directly into his deep eyes.

"Let’s call off the engagement."

Ethan narrowed his eyes, studying me before letting out a soft, mocking chuckle.

"Stella, who taught you to play these hard-to-get games?"

He slowly pulled out a wet wipe, thoroughly wiping the fingers that had just touched the bracelet, as if he had contaminated himself.

"If this is about me coming home late tonight, there's no need for this drama. Bianca's depression flared up, and she tried to slit her wrists. I only went to the hospital out of basic humanity."

He tossed the used wipe perfectly into the trash can, his tone flat, without a single ripple of emotion.

"Don't joke about marriage. If you wanted my attention, congratulations, you got it. Tomorrow, I'll have my assistant order a custom gown for you. You'll accompany me to the Tech Summit next week."

"Consider it compensation for your wild imagination tonight. Don't push your luck."

Looking at his hypocritical face, I felt nothing but disgust.

Over the past three years, I had stayed up until dawn countless times writing code. Whenever I begged him to watch a movie with me, he always excused himself, saying he had to prepare for the company's IPO.

Now, suddenly, he was willing to make time.

"I'm not going."

"The engagement is off. Tomorrow morning, I will contact my lawyer to revoke Vance Enterprises' free access to all AI patents under my name."

Ethan finally lost his patience.

He slammed his glass down onto the marble counter with a heavy thud.

"Since you’re not in a state to listen to reason, stay home and reflect. When you’ve cleared your head, call me."

He turned toward the door. "I’m staying at the Westside Villa tonight to get some peace."

At the doorway, he paused and muttered to his assistant outside, "Go buy her a cake."

The front door slammed shut, and the roar of his sports car faded into the heavy rain.

Half an hour later, the assistant, drenched, rang the doorbell holding a pastry box.

"Miss Brooks, Mr. Vance went out of his way to buy this to cheer you up."

I didn’t take it.

Ethan’s notes on his phone made it crystal clear: every time Bianca had an episode, she needed cake to calm down.

Even his way of comforting me was copied from his habits with another woman.

"Throw it away," I said, shutting the door.

That night, Ethan didn’t go to the Westside Villa.

At 2:00 AM, I saw a photo posted on Bianca’s Instagram.

In the photo, Ethan was wearing his black silk shirt, leaning against the headboard of a five-star hotel bed, holding a steaming bowl of soup for her.

The caption read: [Even if the whole world abandons me, my god will still descend from his heaven for me.]